The man who promised to give bees to the Virgin Mary

A man of the Protestant faith was suffering from severe foot pain. Instead of resigning himself to his suffering, he kept blaspheming. One of his friends, with great patience, persuaded him that it would be more useful for him to go to the church in Mariapocs and ask the Virgin for mercy, as his blasphemies would do nothing to relieve his suffering. 

So the man went to the shrine. During the journey, he promised to donate a hive of bees to the Mariapocs church if he were healed. Our Lady answered his prayers, and his feet were completely healed. His recovery was so complete that he was able to return home without any help. On his return journey, however, he regretted having promised the church the beehive. What a useless promise, he thought. What need would the Virgin have for bees? So he decided not to take the bees to the church. 

When he got home, his first thought was to go and see the bees. He was immensely surprised to see them leave the hive and fly in the direction of Mariapocs church! The man was able to follow them step by step. When they arrived at the church, the bees hid in a crack in the northern wall surrounding the church, where they still are today, after more than a hundred years!

Nicolas Ladomerszky, "A Marian shrine in Hungary, the Weeping Virgin of Mariapocs”, published in Marie magazine, May-June 1949

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